A Friday night in Shinjuku is recognized by its multitude of neon lights, bustling footsteps and the sound of taxi doors opening and shutting.
Welcome to Kabukicho. As far as red-light districts around the world compare, many would consider this area to be a much milder variation. A host club is the male equivalent of a hostess establishment. The service that hosts provide is non-sexual, although as with many gray area industries, options may be available in some places. Myself and a group of female friends, curious about the ins and outs of host clubs, ventured out one night to experience it firsthand.
Online reservations are recommended at most clubs. Exploring our options nearby, we found that our large group of nine people also made it challenging for the clubs to accommodate us due to the way hosts are rostered for their shifts. Pairs or groups of three are preferred as hosts typically attend to guests one-on-one. After halving our numbers, we were able to finally get into a place.
We decided on it based on the advertising material displayed outside, the fact that it was part of a fairly large entertainment organization, and word from a street tout who said it was an OK place.
The draw and appeal of spending time with a host is the conversation. It will be awkward for both parties if communication is difficult. In our group, there were no Japanese nationals but all of us spoke Japanese to a conversational level or higher. Only one of the hosts at the club we went to spoke English, and he ended up being booked by regulars immediately. If this is your maiden journey to a host club, you can opt for the first-visit rate. After registration you will need an ID such as your residence card or passport , we were ushered to a booth where our drink orders were taken.
